Taylor Stanley: What My Teacher Taught Me

Recently promoted New York City Ballet soloist Taylor Stanley might have a hard time imagining himself as a role model, since he’s spent much of his career looking up to others. Jen Wheat at The Rock School first introduced Stanley to the concept of gleaning inspiration from others in class to improve himself.

“Jen taught me to keep my eyes on those above me and just learn from them, letting them inspire me in any way that intrigued me. I was often the only boy in our ballet classes, so I watched the women who were older. I wanted to imitate the maturity in their movement. Jen helped me realize that you take things from other dancers in order to figure out what helps you improve.”